Somto BisinaRwanda has been hit by severe flooding and landslides caused by torrential rains, leaving at least 127 people dead and many more displaced. Homes and infrastructure have been destroyed, with roads cut off and rivers of mud sweeping through the streets.
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Rescue operations are ongoing in the most affected districts, according to the office of President Paul Kagame. Most of the deaths occurred in Western Province, which borders Lake Kivu. The floods and landslides have also hit neighbouring Uganda, where six people have been reported dead.
East Africa often suffers from flooding and landslides during the rainy seasons, although several countries in the Horn of Africa have been in the grip of the worst drought in decades.
Experts say extreme weather events are happening with increased frequency and intensity due to climate change. Africa, which contributes the least to global warming, is bearing the brunt.
In response to the disaster, Rwanda’s minister in charge of emergency management, Marie Solange Kayisire, has called on local residents to increase patrols, especially at night, so people can be moved to safer ground when it rains heavily.
Relief efforts began immediately, including helping to bury victims of the disaster and providing supplies to those whose homes were destroyed. However, the floodwaters are still rising, causing a threat to more lives.
Last month, at least 14 people died after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides in southern Ethiopia. In May 2020, at least 65 people died in Rwanda as heavy rains pounded the region, while at least 194 deaths were reported in Kenya.
At the end of 2019, at least 265 people died and tens of thousands were displaced during two months of relentless rainfall in several countries in East Africa. The extreme downpours affected close to two million people and washed away tens of thousands of livestock in Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
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